British Nutrition Foundation

A charity that advises the British government and public on scientific nutrition matters and produces educational materials for schools. Its industrial sponsors include:

• Tesco's Own Brand
• British Sugar,
• Cadbury,
• Coca-Cola,
• Kelloggs,
• Masterfoods (Mars),
• McDonalds,
• Nestle,
• Procter & Gamble,
• Tate & Lyle and
• United Biscuits.

From [1] "The Foundation promotes the nutritional wellbeing of society through the impartial interpretation and effective dissemination of scientifically based nutritional knowledge and advice. It works in partnership with academic and research institutes, the food industry, educators and government. The Foundation influences all in the food chain, government, the professions and the media. The Foundation is a charitable organisation which raises funds from the food industry, government and a variety of other sources."

BNF Member Companies

From the BNF website

• 3663
• Ajinomoto/Nutrasweet Switzerland AG
• Alpro UK Limited (Provamel)
• Asda Stores Ltd
• Associated British Foods plc
• Bernard Matthews PLC
• Belovo Brake Bros Ltd
• British Potato Council
• British Sugar plc *
• Cadbury Schweppes*
• Coca-Cola Great Britain and Ireland
• Dairy Crest Limited
• DSM Nutritional Products Europe Ltd
• H J Heinz Ltd*
• Hero AG
• Home Grown Cereals Authority
• J Sainsbury plc
• Kellogg Company of Great Britain Limited
• Kraft Foods UK Ltd*
• Lighter Life
• Marks and Spencer plc
• Masterfoods
• McDonald's Restaurants Ltd
• McNeil Nutritionals Ltd
• Meat & Livestock Commission *
• nabim
• National Starch
• Nestle UK Ltd *
• Northern Foods plc
• Novotel London West
• Nutricia Ltd
• Orafti
• Ovaltine
• Procter & Gamble Limited
• RHM Technology Limited*
• Sea Fish Industry Authority
• Tate & Lyle Sugars*
• Tetra Pak Ltd
• The Dairy Council
• The Ryvita Company *
• Unilever plc *
• United Biscuits (UK) Limited
• Waitrose Ltd
• Weetabix Limited *
• Wyeth Consumer Healthcare

British Nutrition Foundation

(From tfx website [2])

The BNF is an industry-supported charity whose corporate members read like a food industry Who's Who, including such companies as MacDonalds, Northern Foods, Kraft, Kelloggs, RHM, Coca-Cola, Unilever, Nestlé, Sainsbury, Asda, Procter & Gamble, Dairy Crest ... you get the picture. Collectively they, and the Government (why?) support the BNF to the tune of over £1 million per year.

While recognising that the BNF does provide some good and worthwhile information on food and diet, we are mystified at the general lack of information on trans fats and their hazards.

However this should be seen in the context of this statement by Chairman Malcolm Peaker in the 2004 Annual Report, that the BNF benefits its corporate members through the impartial provision by BNF of accurate and balanced evidence at times of media misinformation and politically-motivated scaremongering. Even a single food-and-health scare can significantly reduce the value of a company and undermine consumer confidence in a product. The only defence in such circumstances is the delivery of evidence by a trusted and respected organisation, and BNF has, on many occasions, defused some potentially very damaging situations by providing that evidence.

The more cynically minded might think that this is an admission of the BNF's true purpose: to act as a trusted, authoritative voice that dismisses food scares, maintains consumer confidence, and maintains the share price of food companies.

BNF Council

From [3]

Chairman of Council:

• Mr. J.W. Sutcliffe, Chief Executive, Grocery, Associated British Foods Plc

Scientific Governors

• Professor S.A. Bingham, BSc MA PhD FMedSci Deputy Director, MRC Dunn Nutrition Unit, Cambridge

• Professor J. Blundell, BSc PhD CPsychol FBPsS Department of Psychology, University of Leeds

• Professor A. de Looy, BSc PhD SRD Professor of Dietetics, Plymouth University

• Professor K. Fox, PhD Department of Exercise and Health Sciences, University of Bristol

• Professor C.J.K. Henry BSc MSc PhD, Principal Lecturer Oxford Brookes University School of Biology

• Professor A.A. Jackson, MA MD FRCP Professor of Human Nutrition, School of Biological Sciences, University of Southampton

• Professor M. B. E. Livingstone, BEd MSc DPhil RNutr Professor of Nutrition, School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Ulster

• Professor M.S. Losowsky, MD FRCP Emeritus Professor of Medicine, St. James's University Hospital, Leeds

Professor A.D.B. Malcolm, MA DPhil CBiol FIBiol FIFST Chief Executive, Institute of Biology

Professor J.C. Mathers, BSc PhD Professor of Human Nutrition and Director of the Human Nutrition Research Centre, University of Newcastle upon Tyne

• Professor T.A.B. Sanders, BSc PhD DSc Professor of Nutrition and Dietetics, King's College London University

• Professor C.M. Williams, BSc PhD Head of Hugh Sinclair Unit of Human Nutrition, University of Reading

Scientific Governors appointed by the Royal Society of London

• Professor M. Peaker, DSc FRSE FRS

Industrial Governors

Mr. S. Barden, BSc MBA CEng

Mr. M. Collyer, General Manager, Nutrition Business Unit, Nestlé UK Limited

• Mr. R.J. Fletcher, BSc Director, Scientific Affairs, Kellogg Europe

• Mr. P.E. Hebblethwaite, Group Technical Director, Cadbury Schweppes

• Miss A. Heughan, SRD Company Nutrition and Health Manager, Unilever Bestfoods UK

• Mr. J.W. Sutcliffe, BSc Chief Executive, Grocery, Associated British Foods plc, Chairman BNF

• Mr. G Weston, Managing Director, The Ryvita Company Limited

General Governors

• Mrs. S. J. Evans, Freelance writer and broadcaster

• Mr. R.A. Marsh, BSc MSc CSci FIFST Managing Director, Food Processing, Faraday Partnership

• Mr. R. Rees, Director, The Country Elephant Ltd.

Ex-Officio Governors

Honorary President of Council:

• Professor Dame Barbara Clayton, DBE MD PhD HonDSc FRCP Honorary Research Professor in Metabolism, University of Southampton, Honorary President, The British Nutrition Foundation

Honorary Vice-Presidents of Council:

• Mr. I.G.T. Ferguson BSC CBE, Chief Executive, Tate & Lyle Sugars

• Professor A. Shenkin, BSc PhD FRCP FRCPath Professor of Clinical Chemistry, University of Liverpool

Honorary Treasurer:

• C.J. Hart, BSc MSc FIFST

• Members of the Board of Trustees

BNF Staff

From [4]

(Professor Robert Pickard, Director-General

Mr Peter Leigh, Company Secretary

Miss Stephanie Valentine, Education Director

Professor Judith Buttriss, Science Director

Mr Roy Ballam, Senior Education Officer

Ms Sara Stanner, Senior Nutrition Scientist

Miss Brigid McKevith, Senior Nutrition Scientist

Dr Sarah Schenker, Nutrition Scientist

Miss Claire Theobald, Education Officer

Ms Claire Williamson, Nutrition Scientist

Miss Rebecca Foster, Nutrition Scientist

Dr Joanne Lunn, Nutrition Scientist

Miss Anna Denny, Nutrition Scientist

Mr Nicholas Baldwin, Administration Officer

Miss Donna Baker, Education Secretary

Mrs Stephanie Hyman, Research Assistant

Miss Helen Marriott, Research Assistant

Miss Charlotte Musgrove, Research Assistant

Miss Naomi Campbell, Research Assistant

Resources

John Yudkin, 'Attack is the best defence', Chapter 21 in Pure, White and Deadly, Penguin, 1988.

External links

Kath Dalmeny, 'Sugar Spin', The Ecologist, Date Published: 31 October 2003